Integrated circuit devices have been housed in dual-in-line plastic packages, referred to as DIP packages, for many years in semiconductor manufacturer. These DIP packages have leads extending through holes in a printed circuit board and the package itself is mounted fiat on the board. Additionally, surface-mount packaging has been introduced, and this technique eliminates the necessity of soldering leads in holes in the printed circuit PC boards so that the leads and the PC board conductor can be closer together and higher densities of the packages are achieved. However, these higher densities and increased processing capabilities results in the greater generation and retention of heat. Thus, a need for increased cooling of these packages has arisen. Further, edge-mounted packages or modules have been used to increase the density of devices, improving cooling and reducing cost.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,601 illustrates a flat package for semiconductor integrated circuit devices, allowing edge-mounting and surface mount.
As the complexity of the integrated circuit and the power required by these integrated circuits increases, the above-mentioned device fails to provide a heat sink sufficient for the needs of the integrated circuit.